Strandja medallist Govind makes winning start at 8th Men’s National Boxing C'ship

Govind Sahani, a silver medallist at the 2023 Strandja Memorial International Boxing Tournament, started his campaign at the 8th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship with a commanding win over Mohammad Aarif of Jammu & Kashmir on Tuesday, Day 1 of the tournament at Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

Close to 300 boxers are battling for supremacy in the championship, representing their respective state units.

Organised by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), in association with the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Association, the week-long tournament is being held at Invertis University in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, from January 7-13, 2025.

The championship kicked off in the presence of chief guest Umesh Gautam, Chancellor of Invertis University and Mayor of Bareilly, with Day 1 witnessing several thrilling bouts that set the tone for the competition.

Devendra Solanki of Rajasthan opened the tournament in style, defeating Donald Winston Janumala in the Flyweight (47-50kg) category. In the Bantamweight (50-55kg) division, Badal of Himachal Pradesh emerged victorious against Mizoram’s Lalhruaitluanga.

Back in the ring, the Lightweight category saw Goa’s Nitesh Chawan outclass Kerala’s Mohamed Athif with a dominant 5-0 win, while Arunachal’s Ito Ado secured a hard-fought victory over Himanshu Singh.

Bhanu Prakash defeated Ashish in the Welterweight (60-65kg) category, while the (70-75kg) weight class featured impressive wins by Nikhil Dubey and Arshpreet Singh Bhatti.

Representing their respective State Units, each team features up to ten boxers in bouts structured under the World Boxing Technical & Competition Rules, with three three-minute rounds and one-minute rest periods in between rounds. A 10-points-must scoring system is in effect throughout the championship.

Team SSCB (Services) enters the tournament as two-time defending champions, having won the sixth and seventh editions of the championship.